Day 5 – Marvin and Paul

Saturday, June 8th was our fifth day in Quilmes. It was our first day without a school-organized activity, so it was our exchange families’ biggest chance yet to share a little something special about their home. The parents arranged for all of the boys to meet up for a boat ride and a day of sports on a small island in the Tigres River. We got up at the much more reasonable hour of 8:30, then made our way to the river by car, a one hour drive from Quilmes. On the way to the river, we stopped at a “service station”, which in Argentina are gas stations with restaurants inside. After eating breakfast at the service station, we continued on our way, passing many of the landmarks we had seen early in the week, like the Teatro Colon and the Obelisco.

When we arrived at the river, we found four boats waiting for us: two owner by parents and two river taxis. A handful of boys entered each of first three boats boat along with one parent driver, while the final boat was occupied by the remaining parents. Our destination was a small island in the northern mouth of the river. Houses on the river are considered prime real estate in Argentina, so we saw many very elegant and luxurious houses on the way. Additionally, we saw a wide variety of water vessels, ranging from abandoned navy ships to kayaks to full-fledged yachts. After about twenty minutes of boating, we arrived at the island.

The island, a private club, had a tennis court, a soccer field, a soccer-tennis ring, and a restaurant. In the first hour, we introduced the exchange students to American football and played a small game with them. After that, we all split up according to what game we wanted to play, with some continuing football, some opting for tennis, and the rest choosing to participate in a tournament of soccer-tennis, a strange and frustrating hybrid of the two sports not recommended for anybody that’s grown to rely on their hands.

At around 2 pm, we entered the restaurant on the island and shared a meal comprised of chorizo, porcilla, and asada, followed by a dessert of dulce de leche-filled crepes. Suffice to say, they hit the spot. After the meal, we continued to play sports until around 5 pm, at which point we returned to the boats and began our journey home.

After night fell, we found ourselves at a Quilmes High School fashion show. It was undeniably a novel idea, but for those less inclined to style it was another good excuse to meet up with the rest of the class. Despite this, almost all of the CA students ended up on the catwalk. Some of the more sensible folk walked in their most stylish clothes and moved sensibly up and down the runway. The rest of us had other ideas for what a show should look like.

After us Cary kids finished our segment, we hung around in the audience to watch our hosts take the stage. While I am a completely tasteless individual when it comes to fashion, there was a certain charm in watching my friends strut down a runway dressed in flamboyant clothes and moving to the beat of 80s disco tunes. After they finished, we didn’t find any particular reason to hang around in the audience, so we made it outside to have a chat and pick up whatever food we could find. The empanadas were good. That’s all I ate, and just about all I have to say about the meal.

Not too much of note happened after our meal. We talked, we talked some more, we laughed, we talked again, then eventually somebody looked at their phone and realized that it was past eleven and probably time to make it back home if we want to be rested for tomorrow. Life is good here. Wish it didn’t go by so fast.